


Little Button

by Stargatewars



Series: A Schitt Year [18]
Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: M/M, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-03-02 14:58:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18813262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stargatewars/pseuds/Stargatewars
Summary: David and Marcy bond over pictures of Patrick throughout his life.





	Little Button

**Author's Note:**

  * For [loverdeen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/loverdeen/gifts).



> 'A Schitt Year' is a weekly series of stand alone stories focusing on the relationship between David and Patrick from Schitt's Creek.  
> Prompts are welcome and encouraged because coming up with 56 stories on your own isn't easy!  
> All rating welcome. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> ***
> 
> Thank you to Loverdeen for the prompt! I adore Clint and Marcy so this was a lot of fun to write!

David sat at the Brewer’s kitchen table. He still couldn’t quite believe he was there. At his fiance’s parents house, spending the afternoon with his future mother-in-law.

Patrick had gone to a baseball game with his father. David and Marcy agreeing that it would be more fun for them to go over some wedding details.

In front of David lay his wedding binder and journal.

‘I love these flowers,’ Marcy said holding up a picture of a centrepiece that David had found.

‘I’m talking with a local florist about arranging something similar. We just need to bring it in line with the colours,’ David grabbed his journal and turned to a page where he had colour samples, ‘you don’t think this will be too dark?’

Marcy looked down at the three colour samples on the page. Black, white and blue. She ran her fingers across the colours.

‘They’re perfect David,’ Marcy smiled at David. She couldn’t believe how something as simple as bringing in Patrick’s preference for wearing blue into the wedding colours could make her heart swell for David.

‘I was thinking of adding some peach tones to break it up a bit, mainly in the flowers,’ David turned his attention back to the pages in front of him. He couldn’t keep looking into Marcy’s eyes as she smiled so fondly at him. Eyes so much like her sons.

‘That sounds beautiful David. You have such a good eye for this,’ Marcy touched his forearm.

‘I know Schitt’s Creek isn’t the ideal place for a wedding,’ David spoke, ‘but it’s coming together well.’

‘Ever since Patrick was a little boy, he had never really shown any interest in weddings before this. When… when he and Rachel were engaged, it was the last thing he would want to talk about. He avoided the topic at all costs. We thought it was just nerves. Now we know better. He’s so excited for this David. He’s so excited to marry you,’ Marcy explained. David felt uncomfortable hearing about Patrick’s engagement to Rachel, but he also felt sadness for Patrick to have not known himself well enough at that point in his life.

‘I can’t imagine Patrick as a little boy,’ David said, because he kind of couldn’t. Tiny button-down shirts and jeans isn’t something that a child would wear but he struggled to imagine Patrick in much else.

‘Would you like to see some photos of him?’ Marcy asked. David’s face lit up.

‘I’d love that Marcy,’ David smiled. Marcy stood and disappeared into the other room.

A few minutes later Marcy reappeared holding several photo albums. She sat them down in front of David, who opened them excitedly.

On the first page was a large picture of a baby. Nondescript except for wispy hair covering his head and dark brown eyes. David was generally of the opinion that all babies looked the same. There wasn’t much difference between them other than whether they had hair or not. But looking at a photo of Patrick, likely only a few weeks old, David realised how wrong that was. He could see so much of Patrick already there.

‘He was adorable,’ David said running his hand over the picture.

‘He was such a good sleeper,’ Marcy offered with a light laugh.

The next photo was Patrick a little older, he wore a thick puffy jacket. He sat smiling in Marcy’s arms. Looking just a bit more like the Patrick he knew now.

‘He’s about six months old there,’ Marcy said. David pulled out his phone and took a photo of the photo.

‘And this one?’ David pointed to one of Patrick being held by Clint.

‘About a year old I think. It was his first baseball game,’ Clint was wearing a baseball jersey and cap, holding Patrick proudly in his arms. Patrick was laughing, his cheeks rosy. He wore a matching miniature version of the jersey and an oversized cap. David took a picture of that too. And as he took it his brain went somewhere he hadn’t expected. For a moment he didn’t see Patrick and Clint. Instead he saw Patrick standing smiling with their own son. Taking him to his first baseball game. David shook his head, pushing the thought aside. For now at least.

‘You ok dear?’ Marcy asked.

‘Yes Mrs Brewer. He was just so cute. He really has always been a button,’ David smiled broadly.

‘A button?’ she asked confused. And so he told her about all the nicknames Patrick has collected from his family along the way. Marcy had to wipe a tear away as the laughed through David’s list.

‘He is a button isn’t he,’ she laughed.

They continued to turn through the pages, watching Patrick grow older with each turn of the page. Patrick with his first guitar, way too big for him. Patrick dressed as a cowboy for halloween. The following years halloween he dressed as a businessman, with a small tie and jacket. Patrick, Clint and Marcy smiling over his tenth birthday cake. Patrick standing on stage, his guitar now the right size. Each photo David couldn’t help but smile at. Marcy told stories about Patrick growing up. About how kind and smart he was.

David realised just how different their upbringings were as they turned the pages. He had known it before, but now it was laid bare for him. But instead of feeling jealous that his life wasn't like Patrick's, he felt happiness. Happy that despite their widely different upbringings they had found each other.

When they finished one album and David went to grab the next Marcy stopped him.

‘We don’t need to look at this one,’ Marcy said, grabbing the next one in the pile.

‘No I want to,’ David said. He was enjoying seeing the photos of Patrick more than he had thought.

‘David… you might not want to see this ones,’ Marcy held the album to her chest. He looked at her carefully.

‘These are the photos of him and Rachel aren’t they?’ it wasn’t really a question. He knew that would be the only reason she wouldn’t show them to him.

‘Yes,’ Marcy replied simply.

‘Show me. It’s ok. I want to see everything,’ David said placing a reassuring hand on her arm. She nodded and lowered the album to the table.

The first photos were of Patrick standing smiling in his maroon school blazer. He looked happy, proud. His first day at his new school, Marcy explained. More photos of him holding trophies in sports uniforms.

It was a few pages into the album before the first photo of Rachel. It was a photo of a large group of friends. Patrick was crouched down at the front of the group, Rachel rested her hands on his shoulders.

‘They were friends first,’ Marcy said, touching the corner of the photo.

More photos passed of the young couple. Rachel with her arms wrapped around Patrick’s waist, Patrick kissing Rachel on the cheek. Photos of them together at prom.

And more as they got older. At baseball games together. Engagement photos. Occasionally she would disappear from the photos for a page or two of photos, signalling one of their breakups, but she always reappeared.

David had expected to feel hurt by the photos. To feel a stab of pain reminding him when he first found out about Rachel. But he didn’t. He felt sadness. For both of them. That they had spent so much of their youth changing something that was never going to work.

When he looked at Patrick’s face in so many of these, he first noticed the smiles, but when he looked closer he realised that the smile on Patrick’s lips barely ever reached his eyes.

‘When we found out about you and Patrick. About him being gay,’ Marcy spoke as if reading his mind, ‘I came home and looked at this album. I couldn’t understand how we hadn’t seen it. Seen how unhappy he had been. He was living a lie and we didn’t see it.’ David thought of all the photos he had of Patrick. All the ones of him laughing, of them together. And how happy, how truly happy he looked in all of them.

‘Marcy. He didn’t even see it,’ David touched Marcy’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

‘But I see how happy he is now David. When he looks at you. When he talks about you, he lights up. And I’m so grateful that you’re here to give him that,’ Marcy’s voice wavered.

‘I’m glad I can too. He’s changed my life,’ David felt his emotions bubbling up beneath the surface. He forced them back down, crying with your future mother-in-law over photos of your fiance was too much for him to process at the moment.

David took a photo of the picture of Patrick at his college graduation wearing his mortar board and robe, Marcy and Clint standing proudly on either side of their son. 

‘I like his curly hair though,’ David said with a cough.

‘He cut it because he thought it made him look too young,’ Marcy replied smiling.

‘He wasn’t wrong,’ David laughed.

They continued to turn through the pages, Marcy telling stories connected to the photos. When they reached the final album, the most recent photos David couldn’t help but smile. The man in the photos was exactly the Patrick he knew. Broad shoulders, kind eyes, right down to the blue button-downs.

‘This was just before he left for Schitt’s Creek. She pointed to a photo of Clint and Patrick standing at a barbeque.

David turned the page and paused.

‘There isn’t much after that,’ David noted. And he was right, there was a few from Patrick’s time in the town but almost nothing else. A picture of Patrick out the front of Rose Apothecary jumped out at David, he remembered taking it. The day before they opened.

‘He’s not very good at sending us photos. He forgets I think,’ Marcy said looking down at the blank pages. David knew the truth though. This was when they had started dating. Most of the pictures from this period showed that. Patrick was still in the closet to his parents, he couldn’t have sent the photos even if he had wanted to.

‘I have some pictures I can send you,’ David said, ‘if that’s ok?’

‘I would love that David. Thank you,’ Marcy smiled fondly.

‘Here,’ David pulled out his phone and scrolled through the gallery. He was very aware that there were photos in there that a mother should never see of her son, but he wanted to badly to show her how happy Patrick has been during his time in Schitt's Creek. How happy he was now.

He showed her pictures, carefully selected of their life together. Of Patrick helping a customer at the store. The two of them out the front of the store, Alexis had the photo taken for their website. Patrick in a baseball outfit laughing.

‘He looks so happy,’ Marcy said softly.

David looked away for a moment to have a drink and when he looked back he saw that Marcy had scrolled a photo too far. It was of Patrick sitting up in bed, wearing a white t-shirt, his hair ruffled from the night before. He was staring happily at the camera, eyes dark.

‘Oh… umm,’ David said reaching for his phone, ‘you probably don’t want to see any more.’

But she swiped again before he could reach it. Thankfully the next one wasn’t as explicit as it could have been. But it still wasn't great. David had taken it after Patrick had fallen asleep. Patrick lay on his stomach, arms wrapped around his pillow. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, the blanket thankfully pulled up to his waist. David knew from memory that Patrick was naked. Marcy startled, looking down at the picture. Seeing a part of her son's life she didn't need to see.

'Oh...I'll just give you that back,' Marcy said pressing David's phone into his hand. He was sure he was bright red by this point. Although he was well aware it could have been worse.

‘Sorry,’ David said tucking his phone back in his pocket.

‘There is a couple more photos I haven’t had a chance to put in yet,’ Marcy said changing the subject, she pulled out an envelope from the back of the album. David opened the envelope and pulled out some photos taken at Patrick’s surprise party. A few were of the entire group of people, everyone laughing. But three stood out to David above the rest. The first was David and Patrick with the rest of the Rose family, plus Stevie. Patrick’s arm wound around David’s waist, David’s hand resting on Patrick’s shoulder. The next was Patrick and David with Marcy and Clint. The four of them looked so happy. David had one arm around Marcy’s shoulder, the other around Patrick’s. While Patrick’s arm held David’s waist and the other was around Clint’s back. David remembered it being taken, he was so nervous.

But it was the final photo that truly took his breath away. He hadn’t even realised it had been taken. It was David and Patrick on the dance floor near the end of the night. People were around them but they clearly hadn’t noticed. David had his head tossed back as he laughed happily. Patrick was smiling at him like he was the only person in the room.

‘So yeah, I’m going to need copies of all of these,’ David said trying to discreetly wipe a tear from his eye.

'Of course,' Marcy nodded.

Just then they heard the front door open.

‘We’re home,’ Clint called out.

‘How was the game?’ Marcy turned as Patrick and Clint entered.

‘Good. We won,’ Patrick pulled off his cap, running his fingers through his short hair, ‘how’s the wedding planning going?’ Patrick asked, as he wrapped his arms around David’s shoulders.

‘What I saw looked beautiful,’ Marcy smiled.

‘We got sidetracked with your photos,’ David turned his head to look up at Patrick.

‘You didn’t seriously show all my baby pictures did you?’ he dropped his head to David’s shoulder.

‘You were very cute,’ David laughed.

‘A little button,’ Marcy said sharing a glance with David.

‘Oh my god,’ Patrick shook his head with embarrassment, ‘you told her that?’ David kissed Patrick on the cheek.

‘Did you ask him about your outfit Marcy?’ Clint asked grabbing two beers from the fridge.

‘Outfit?’ David looked between Clint and Marcy as Patrick moved to take one of the beers from his father.

‘I was going to ask you about what I should wear to the wedding David,’ Marcy said, David noticed the slight blush of her cheeks, exactly like Patrick does when he’s a little embarrassed.

‘I can help with that,’ David smiled. He was touched that they would ask his opinion on clothing, he knew that his style wasn’t something that most people understood.

‘I mean, I’ve seen your mother. I’ve accepted that I will be the second best dressed mother-of-the-groom at the wedding,’ Marcy said with a nervous laugh.

‘Not if I can help it,’ David said, ‘we still have tomorrow before we head back. Let’s go shopping. I’ll help you put together an outfit that will rival even Moira Rose.’

‘I’d love that. Thank you David,’ Marcy smiled, ‘I’ll get dinner on.’ She squeezed his hand.

‘Let me give you a hand love,’ Clint moved around the counter to help his wife, to give David and Patrick a moment to talk.

‘That was really nice of you David,’ Patrick smiled, kissing David’s cheek.

‘I have my moments,’ David leaned his head back against Patrick’s shoulder.

'You do,' Patrick moved to sit beside David looking over the photo albums open before him.

'This is incredibly embarrassing,' Patrick said shaking his head.

'Oh I don't know. You made a very cute cowboy,' David laughed.

'You should have seen the year he dressed as a rabbit,' Clint said as he began to peel the vegetables for dinner.

'Not a superhero?' David asked as Patrick put his head in his hands.

They spend the rest if the night regaling David with stories, making Patrick blush and discussing what outfit Marcy should wear to the wedding.

As they went to bed that night David felt happy and content. He'd never experienced this type of kindness and welcome before. Much like their son, Marcy and Clint Brewer seemed to love David for David. An idea that still felt foreign to him but one he was hoping he would never stop experiencing.

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked this fic comments and/or kudos are much appreciated. I'd love to know your thoughts!  
> If you have any prompts for the future please comment below or contact me on Tumblr at @stargatewars


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